1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system (for example, routing switcher) in which signal input substrates varying in the number of input terminals and signal output substrates varying in the number of output terminals are inserted into and removed from a plurality of slots.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-186899 (paragraphs 0067 through 0081 and FIG. 5) discloses a signal switching apparatus called a routing switcher (or router). When broadcasting and recording a program in a broadcasting station, video signals/audio signals from a large number of video cameras and microphones in a studio and a coverage site, video signals/audio signals reproduced by VTR and the like are all input into the router. Input signals to be output to devices (program transmission device, editing terminal, VTR and the like) are switched by the router.
In the past, a plurality of devices used for different purposes such as the followings have been used as the router:    (i) a device that inputs/outputs video signals (video router);    (ii) a device that inputs/outputs audio signals (audio router);    (iii) a device that inputs/outputs time codes added to video signals/audio signals; and    (iv) a device that inputs/outputs signals to control devices.
Further, a router enabling various kinds of signals such as a video signal, audio signal and time code to be input/output by a single device, which is called a hybrid router, has also been introduced.
The hybrid router is configured to have a plurality of input slots and output slots. An arbitrary substrate among a video signal input substrate, an audio signal input substrate, a time code input substrate and the like is inserted into and removed from each of input slots. Similarly, an arbitrary substrate among a video signal output substrate, an audio signal output substrate, a time code output substrate and the like is inserted into and removed from each of output slots.